The boys’ club of NSW Police: Systemic bullying revealed

Findings from an NSW Police independent culture review have been released, which coincides with initiatives already underway to build a fairer and safer working environment for the police force.

The review, which was uncovered on 11 June 2026 after being launched 18 months prior, identified issues surrounding bullying, discrimination and a culture in which people have felt unable or unwilling to speak up about misconduct and unacceptable behaviour.

More than 5,000 current and former staff, both sworn and unsworn, engaged with the review through face-to-face interviews, online surveys, written submissions, or group discussions.

The report noted various serious and systemic cultural problems within the NSW Police Force.

These are not isolated incidents; the review concludes that several issues have become embedded in organisational practices and behaviours.

Such issues consisted of bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, hostility based on sex, and impact of harmful behaviours.

The NSW Police accepted all 29 recommendations from the review into its workplace culture, across the themes of trusted leadership, flexibility, addressing harmful behaviours, support and care, and talent development and career progression.

While the review looked into aspects such as leadership, diversity and inclusion, recruitment and promotion, it did not investigate individual allegations.

However, during confidential interviews, a common trend was clear regarding overt intimidation and verbal abuse, and more subtle forms such as exclusion and micromanagement.

“The leadership team – they have this attitude. They yell. They micromanage. If you ask them something, their attitude is that you’re so stupid,” a confidential spokesperson said.

Moreover, racism was quite a prevalent recurring issue throughout the report, as depicted by another anonymous interviewee: “If I had a dollar for every time someone has called me a [racial slur], I could retire.”

The report noted that First Nations staff described stereotypical comments about not being “black enough”, racial social media posts, lack of cultural safety, and not being supported to engage in Aboriginal networks within and outside of work.

Some staff also described concerns about the way that members of First Nations communities are treated by sworn police colleagues, including derogatory remarks and offensive behaviour. The NSW Police recognised the issues and have already implemented some initiatives to address them accordingly.

These consist of reviewing the promotions process, development of a leadership framework, a review of the recruitment process, a focus on harmful behaviours through a two-year program designed to stop such behaviours from occurring, and a continued investment in mental health and critical incident support.

From an HR and workplace governance perspective, the review identifies a number of significant issues that would concern any large employer, regardless of whether it is a police organisation.

As reported, psychosocial safety is a top HR priority for workplaces in 2026.

From this perspective, the review described a workplace with multiple psychosocial hazards that Australian employers are expected to identify, assess, and control under work health and safety obligations.

In what is already a stressful job, perhaps the largest psychosocial theme is not simply the fact that being a police officer is stressful in itself, with the potential for physical harm and inherent trauma and demands of frontline policing.

Rather, many participants reported that the organisational culture itself was the most significant source of psychosocial harm.

Michael Byrnes, partner at Swaab, highlighted the number of lessons for human resources functions arising from the cultural issues within NSW Police.

“Sound workplace culture is fundamental to the successful and effective operation of organisations,” Byrnes said.

“It is not a question of being ‘woke’ or just implementing DEI principles, but rather ensuring that all of those employed by the organisation are given a fair opportunity to realise their potential in a safe environment.”

“In terms of safety, the report emphasises the importance of employers addressing psychosocial hazards in the workplace … particularly in light of recent amendments to the WHS Act to specifically include psychosocial hazards.

“Failure to do so can lead to intervention from the safety regulator, including the prospect of prosecutions.”

The situation as a whole disclosed the unfortunately dire consequences of an optimal working environment failing to apply the fundamental principles of human resources, resulting in a domino effect in which issues continue to arise, and a toxic culture is developed across the broader workplace.

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